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Data Visualization and Interpretation

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Data Visualization and Interpretation

Introduction

Data visualization techniques are essential in analysing market data. They are used to

describe data as well as comparative analysis. This report uses various data visualization tools

to analyse products and unit prices sold in different countries. The report shows different

products sold in Portugal and identifies the country's highest and lowest selling products. The

report also includes a comparative analysis of sales in Portugal, the United Kingdom, EIRE

(Ireland), and Germany.

Part 1: Visual Analysis

1. Different Products Sold in Portugal

Figure 1: Products by Quantity in Portugal

The bar chart above shows the products sold in Portugal by the sum of quantity. The

sum of quantity is used since some products are sold at different prices. It indicates the total

number of units of each product sold in the country. A total of 695 different products were

sold in Portugal. The length of the bars indicates the highest and lowest selling products.
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POLKADOT PEN has the highest bar, suggesting that it is the most selling product in

Portugal, with 240 units. The lowest quantity sold was one unit. 108 of the 695 products sold

1 unit each in Portugal.

2. Highest and Lowest Selling Products in Portugal

POLKADOT PEN is the highest selling product in Portugal. The graph above shows

that 240 units of the product were sold in Portugal. The top-selling products in Portugal are

Polkadot Pen, 60 Teatime Fairy Cake Cases, Lunch Bag Red Retrospot, Jumbo Shopper

Vintage Red Paisley, Fridge Magnets Les Enfants Assorted, Red Retrospot Wrap, Lunch Bag

Cars Blue, Pack Of 72 Retrospot Cake Cases, 72 Sweetheart Fairy Cake Cases, Jumbo Bag

Scandinavian Blue Paisley.

Several products can be considered as lowest selling in Portugal. The lowest selling

products sold one unit each. They include NINE DRAWER OFFICE TIDY, 36 FOIL

HEART CAKE CASES, ABSTRACT CIRCLE JOURNAL, BREAD BIN DINER STYLE

IVORY, and CALENDAR IN SEASON DESIGN, among other products. The reasons for the

lowest selling products may range from selling prices, nature of the products, and market

size, among other factors.

3. Distribution of CARD PARTY GAMES

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The bar graph above shows the distribution of CARD PARTY GAMES in different

countries. It identifies countries where the product is highest selling and countries with the

least demand (Brath and Jonker, 2015). The figure shows that the United Kingdom and the

Netherlands account for the largest market for CARD PARTY GAMES. Nine hundred fifty-

seven units of CARD PARTY GAMES were sold in the United Kingdom, accounting for

61%, while 432 units were sold in the Netherlands, representing 27% of the product's total

sales. It shows that the two countries alone account for more than 80% of the total sales.

Finland and Spain have the lowest sales of CARD PARTY GAMES, followed by Austria,

and Norway, respectively.

4. Unit Price Distribution of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF

The above graph shows the distribution of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF unit price

by country. It compares the average unit price of the product in the three countries. It shows

that the United Kingdom has the highest average unit price, followed by Ireland, while

Germany has the lowest average unit price of Jumbo Bag Vintage Leaf of the three countries.
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It suggests that the bag is most expensive in the United Kingdom and least expensive in

Germany. This could be due to variables such as demand (quantity), competition in the

market, differences in production costs, and the cost of doing business, among other factors.

5. Correlation Between Price and Quantity

The scatter points on the above scatter plot do not seem to have a clear pattern.

However, some points show a downward sloping pattern. This suggests a weak but negative

correlation between the unit price of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF and the quantity of the

product sold in Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom (Hair, Harrison, and Ajjan, 2021).

A negative correlation implies that the two variables move in the opposite direction. This
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means that an increase in one variable is associated with a decrease in the other variable

(Bradley, 2007). It implies that price has a weak but negative association with the quantity of

JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sold in the three countries. Thus, JUMBO BAG VINTAGE

LEAF sells most when the lowest unit price holds other factors constant.

The weak correlation between the two variables suggests that other factors

significantly affect the quantity of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sold in the three

countries, other than the unit price (Bradley, 2007). If price were the most critical determinant

of the quantity of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sold in the three countries, the correlation

between the variables would be higher (Chen, Sain, and Guo, 2012). As shown in 4 above,

the United Kingdom has the highest JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sales, yet its average

unit price is also the highest of the three countries. This indicates that price is not the only

determinant of the quantity of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sold in the three countries. It

suggests that price has little effect on quantity sold and does not explain the variations in the

quantity of JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sold in the three countries. The quantity of

JUMBO BAG VINTAGE LEAF sold may be influenced by factors other than price, such as

marketing strategies of companies, level of consumers' income, population, and government

policy, among other variables (Venkatesan, Farris and Wilcox, 2015).

Part 2: Report
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1. Context: Summary of the online Store

This report analyses data of products sold by an online store. The retail sector has

undergone a significant shift to e-commerce, leading to the emergence of online stores.

Online stores are not limited by geographical area and can retail a wide range of products.

The data shows that the online store sells 3,876 different types of products. Its products

include clothing and accessories, stationery, cutlery, among other household products. The

store sells to customers to different countries, including the United States, Austria, Belgium,

Channel Islands, Cyprus, Ireland, France, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, the United

Kingdom, Republic of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore among other countries. It

suggests that the online store targets the entire global market. It sold products to customers

across each of the continents.

2. Country-Specific Analysis – Portugal

Portugal is one of the critical markets for the online store. During the 13 months

between December 2010 and December 2011, the online store sold 695 products in Portugal.

The total quantity of sales during the period was 16,122 units. It sold a wide variety of

products at different prices to the Portuguese market. The average unit price of products sold

in Portugal varied from $0.12 to $603.

Highest Selling Products

The highest selling product in Portugal is POLKADOT PEN. The online store sold

240 units of POLKADOT PEN during the 13 months between December 2010 and December

2011. This may be attributed to the popularity of POLKADOT PENS in Portugal and most

countries worldwide. The pens are perfect for both schooling, travel, and the workplace. They

come in different fun colours. The popularity of POLKADOT PENS in Portugal may be

attributed to its low price. The data shows that the average price for POLKADOT PENS sold
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in Portugal was $0.85. Price is a significant factor in purchasing decisions of customers. The

demand for most products is usually inversely related to price. For an item that retails at a

lower price, the quantity sold will be higher than when it retails at a lower price. Table 1

shows the top ten most selling products in Portugal.

Most of the highest-selling products in Portugal are fast-moving household products.

For instance, cake cases are fast-moving items and are usually purchased in larger quantities

than durable products. Besides, they are less complicated to buy and sell since customers may

not require a physical test of performance, among other aspects. It is also easier for the online

retailer to sell and ship these products to their respective destinations. The nature of the

products explains why they are doing so well in Portugal.

Table 1: Top 10 Highest Selling Products

Row Labels Average Unit Price Quantity

Polkadot Pen 0.85 240

60 Teatime Fairy Cake Cases 0.524 218

Lunch Bag Red Retrospot 1.65 215

Jumbo Shopper Vintage Red Paisley 2.032727273 190

Fridge Magnets Les Enfants Assorted 0.828333333 180

Red Retrospot Wrap 0.42 175

Lunch Bag Cars Blue 1.65 171

Pack Of 72 Retrospot Cake Cases 0.55 170

72 Sweetheart Fairy Cake Cases 0.506666667 145

Jumbo Bag Scandinavian Blue Paisley 2.051111111 140

Another product that features in the list of highest selling products in Portugal is cake

cases. As shown in Table 1, 60 Teatime Fairy cake case is the second-highest selling product

in Portugal. Two other types of cake cases make it in the top ten highest selling products in
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Portugal. This may be attributed to Portugal's large market for cakes and other confectionery

products. According to Santos (2018), major streets of Portugal have pastry shops filled with

an assortment of pastries and cakes. In Portugal, cakes are taken for breakfast, as snacks, as

well as dessert after meals (Santos, 2018). The confectionery market segment in Portugal is

estimated at US$4,769 million (2021) and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of

0.37% in the five years to 2026 (Statista, 2021).

Lowest Selling Products

Analysis shows that 108 products of the 695 products sold in Portugal recorded sales

of one unit each. These products can be classified as products not performing well. Table 2

shows ten of the 108 products that are not performing well.

Table 2: Ten Lowest Selling Products

Average Price Quantity

Nine Drawer Office Tidy 14.95 1
Daisy Journal 2.55 1
Heart Decoration Painted Zinc 0.65 1
Herb Marker Basil 0.65 1
Bread Bin Diner Style Ivory 16.95 1
Classic Metal Birdcage Plant Holder 12.75 1
Daisy Journal 2.55 1
Glass Songbird Storage Jar 12.5 1
Herb Marker Basil 0.65 1
Moroccan Beaten Metal Dish Large 12.75 1

As shown in Table 2, most of the products that are not performing well (by quantity)

are durable and not fast-moving items. The demand for such products is not as high as fast-

moving items. For instance, a person can buy one daisy journal and use it for a whole year.

Purchases of durable products are infrequent, leading to a low sales volume. Besides, due to

the durability of such products and their use, some consumers would prefer buying at

traditional brick-and-mortar stores and testing whether they are working well before buying.

The unit price may have also contributed to the low volume of sales (Solomon, Marshall, and
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Stuart, 2018). Most of the products shown in Table 2 are retailing at more than $10, while

most of the high selling products (Table 1) are retailing at below $1 per unit.

3. Comparative Analysis

Comparative analysis suggests that there are no significant variations in some aspects

of selling strategies between the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Portugal. Analysis

of unit prices indicates that the online store charged the same prices for most products in all

the countries. For instance, 12 EGG HOUSE PAINTED WOOD is retailing at 12.75 in both

the United Kingdom and Spain. The online store is not using price discrimination for

customers in different countries. Price discrimination involves charging varying prices for the

same product to different customers (Jeannet, Hennessey, and Jeannet, 2006). Price

discrimination could help the store generate more revenues by charging higher prices to

customers that are less sensitive to prices. However, price discrimination is difficult to apply

for online stores since customers worldwide can easily compare competitors' prices

(Solomon, Marshall, and Stuart, 2018).

The differences in quantities sold suggest that the online store is using different

selling strategies. Analysis indicates that sales in the United Kingdom are significantly higher

than sales in other countries. It suggests that the online store is investing more in marketing

and distribution in the United Kingdom than in other countries. The data suggests that the

store is focused more on the United Kingdom market, which seems to be its primary market.

Besides, UK sales data seem to have a wider variety of products than in Ireland, Germany,

and Portugal. It suggests that the online store has a wider supply chain than in other countries.

The nature of products sold in different countries also suggests variations in selling

strategies. Data indicates that the online store sells all varieties of products in the United
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Kingdom. However, most products sold in countries such as Portugal, Germany, among

others, are mostly fast-moving items.

4. Future Direction

Analysis shows that the online store is doing well in terms of sales in the United

Kingdom but not as good in other countries. Therefore, it should enhance its marketing

through increased targeted online ads to reach customers in other key markets such as

Germany, China, among other countries. This will facilitate its expansion into other European

and global markets, reducing its reliance on the United Kingdom market and the spreading

risks (Fernie, 2005). The analysis also shows that the store has a limited presence in emerging

markets such as the Middle East, Asian and African countries. The emerging markets provide

higher opportunities for growth than the well-established markets such as Europe and North

America.

Analysis of invoice times indicates that the online store operates between 9.00 am and

8.00 pm. There are no, or limited invoices generated past these times. This makes it difficult

for the online store to reach customers in other areas such as Asia and Africa, where there are

significant time differences with Europe. To increase sales, the company should consider

adopting a 24-hour operating schedule. A 24-hour operating system will enable the online

store to reach customers worldwide and not be limited by time differences.

The online store should also focus on service quality such as faster processing of

orders, better communication with customers, shorter delivery times, and high product quality

through cooperation with reliable suppliers. Analysis shows that non-price factors have a

significant influence on the quantity of sales (Fernie, 2005). Correlation analysis showed a

weak correlation between prices and quantities of sales in Germany, the United Kingdom,

Ireland, and Portugal. This suggests that factors other than price significantly influence
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purchasing decisions. The store should also invest in website customization to allow different

languages. This will attract customers from non-English speaking countries.

The store should use apply big data and analytics. Online retailers gather significant

amounts of data from customers, including their brand preferences, among other information.

The online store should adopt big data and analytics to analyze such data and derive valuable

insights. Such insights can facilitate more targeted advertising, improve product offerings,

enhancing customer service, among other benefits. Applying big data will enable the store to

gain a competitive edge over its peers in the market.

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References

Bradley, T., 2007. Essential statistics for economics, business, and management. Chichester:

Wiley.

Brath, R. and Jonker, D., 2015. Graph Analysis and Visualization. Hoboken: Wiley.

Chen, D., Sain, S. and Guo, K., 2012. Data mining for the online retail industry: A case study

of RFM model-based customer segmentation using data mining. Journal of Database

Marketing & Customer Strategy Management, 19(3), pp.197-208.

Fernie, P., 2005. Online shopping. Bradford: Emerald Group Publishing.

Hair, J., Harrison, D. and Ajjan, H., 2021. Essentials of marketing analytics. McGraw Hill

Education.

Jeannet, J., Hennessey, H. and Jeannet, J., 2006. Global marketing strategies. Boston, Mass.:

Houghton Mifflin.

Santos, N., 2018. A Guide to Portugal's Delicious Cakes and Pastéis, and Where to Try

Them. [online] Available at: <https://theculturetrip.com/europe/portugal/articles/a-guide-

to-portugals-delicious-cakes-and-pasteis-and-where-to-try-them/> [Accessed 7

December 2021].

Solomon, M., Marshall, G. and Stuart, E., 2018. Marketing. Harlow, United Kingdom:

Pearson Education Canada.

Statista, 2021. Confectionery - Portugal | Statista Market Forecast. [online] Statista.

Available at:

<https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/food/confectionery-snacks/confectionery/

portugal> [Accessed 7 December 2021].

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Venkatesan, R., Farris, P. and Wilcox, R., 2015. Cutting-edge marketing analytics. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Appendices
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